It is either an extremely lucky day, or you followed our tips on our article on how to win the lottery, and you just won it. Depending on the prize, paying debts and traveling might be some of the things going through your mind right now. However, how long after winning the lottery do you get the money from the retailer or online lottery website?
Fortunately, the short answer is: not long. On the other side, the deadline for collecting lottery prizes and the procedures may vary. Therefore, consider understanding how the rules for lottery winners work in each case.
How Long Does It Take to Get Lottery Prizes?
There are different rules according to your choices when playing the lottery. The total processing time may vary according to the game and region, as well as the size of the prize. Not to mention that jackpot prizes may even be divided into milestones. Therefore, we summarized the information on how long after winning the lottery you get the money:
- Online lottery websites: usually instant for prizes up to $2,500
- Local retailers: immediate payment up to $600
- Mid-range prizes above those values: up to one business day.
- Jackpot prizes: 5 to 10 banking days.
It is also noteworthy that prizes guaranteed by tickets bought on online lottery websites above the value of instant payment require the presence of the winner. In other words, you can only get the money from the lottery by coming forward in person. Consider that a minor quest for someone that probably became rich overnight.
In addition to the information above, players should keep in mind they have another decision to make when they win the jackpot. They can either receive about 60% of the announced jackpot as a lump-sum payment or opt for 20-30 annuity payments that equal 100% of the jackpot – before taxes.
How Long to Wait for the Lottery Prize: All Lotteries
As there are specific rules that change according to the game and region, we elaborated a quick guide on how long it takes to receive the lottery prizes. All the most popular lottery games on which you can apply useful lottery strategies are described below.
Powerball: How Long After Winning Do You Get the Money?
Players of one of the most famous lottery games around the world, available in several countries thanks to online lotteries, have from 90 to 365 days to claim the Powerball lottery prizes. Before rushing to the retailer or the official lottery organization, keep in mind that the lucky winners of the Powerball jackpot need to wait 15 days to get the money.
The respective claim period for the jurisdictions where players can collect the winnings of Powerball is:
| Claim Period | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| 90 Days | New Mexico |
| 180 Days | Arizona, Arkansas, California (except the jackpot), Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming |
| 182 Days | Maryland |
| 6 Months | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| 1 Year | California (jackpot), Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont |
Mega Millions: How Long Can You Wait to Claim a Prize?
Except for the fact that Puerto Rico is not among the jurisdictions with Mega Millions, all other states have the same claim period to collect Mega Millions prizes. Also, similar to Powerball, players who win the jackpot should also wait 15 days to receive the money.
In addition, if you were wondering how long after winning the Mega Millions lottery you could receive the prize, the answer is:
| Claim Period | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| 90 Days | New Mexico |
| 180 Days | Arizona, Arkansas, California (except the jackpot), Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming |
| 182 Days | Maryland |
| 6 Months | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| 1 Year | California (jackpot), Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont |
EuroMillions: How Long Do You Have to Wait for the Money Prize?
The most popular lottery game in Europe also counts on relevant jackpots, and the maximum amount is elevated several times every year. While a total of nine European countries participates in it, our readers know they can play it from anywhere with the online lottery websites. But how long do you need to wait before claiming a EuroMillions prize?
While small prizes are immediately available, jackpot prizes and other large winnings require an appointment. Visiting the headquarters or a lottery claim center should suffice for large winnings, but smaller prizes can be collected from a local retailer within 48 hours:
- Ireland and the United Kingdom: €100
- Portugal: €150
- Switzerland: €220
- France: €300
- Luxembourg: €750
- Austria and Belgium: €1,000
- Spain: €2,500
Also, players who opted for one of the online lottery websites we recommend will most probably receive them instantly if they did not win large amounts.
EuroJackpot: What is the Claim Period for the Jackpot?
There is not much information on how long players have to wait after winning the lottery to get the money. Therefore, we believe that 48 hours – the same as EuroMillions – should suffice for the European countries participating in it. On average, players can wait up to 180 days to claim it, when it finally expires.
Mega Sena: How Long After Winning Do You Get the Money?
The highest-paying lottery game in Brazil is open to people all around the world via online lottery websites. It offers only 90 days to claim the reward, and once again, prizes up to $2,500 are probably covered and instantly paid by the online lottery agents.
Prizes up to BRL 1,903.98 can be withdrawn from lottery retailers, while anything above BRL 10,000.00 takes up to two days to be ready for your appraisal. That is enough to book a flight to Brazil and become a millionaire – and perhaps stay there for a while.
UK National Lottery: How Long to Receive the Lottery Winnings?
According to the website of the National UK Lottery, players should wait up to 3-5 working days to receive pries in their bank account. For small prizes, immediate withdrawal is available after the draw for those who purchased their ticket on online lottery sites. Those who fail to claim immediately have up to 180 days to request their money prize.
SuperEnaLotto: How Long Does It Take to Get the Money?
While players have only 90 days to claim their reward, the SuperEnaLotto requires some patience from them. Prizes up to €1 million should be credited to your bank account within 30 days, but anything above that value may take up to 91 days to be paid.
Oz Lotto Prizes: How Long After Winning the Lottery?
According to the Oz Lotto support, players who win small prizes receive them immediately after draw completion. All jackpot and tier 1 prizes are paid by the Oz Lotteries within 21 days. Similar to games such as the U.S. Powerball and Mega Millions, the player’s jurisdiction dictates the maximum claim period they have. Therefore, follow the table below:
| Claim Period | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| 6 months | Victoria and Tasmania |
| 12 months | South Australia |
| 3 years | Northern Territory |
| 6 years | New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory |
| 7 years | Queensland |
Lotto 6/49: How Long to Receive Prizes in Canada and Other Countries?
While there is no information on the minimum period necessary to get the money after winning the Lotto 6/49 lottery, it should not take more than a couple of days. The only thing that is certain is that players have up to a year to claim it.
How Long After Winning Do You Get the Money in Other Lotteries?
While the most popular lotteries disclose that valuable information, most of the games out there only inform how long the player has to claim a prize. Therefore, the best possible strategy is to claim any given prize as soon as you check the lottery results. From that moment on, regardless of if they take a day or a month to pay, your prize is granted.
Otherwise, you might risk forgetting about the prize – which is impossible in case of a jackpot, of course – or losing the ticket. Definitely claim it as soon as possible, and it might be yours in a couple of days (Powerball) or take a few months (Oz Lotto).
And, of course, prefer to play on online lottery websites when playing games outside of your country. It is possible to receive amounts up to $2,500 immediately after the draw and without leaving the comfort of your home.
️